Handmade Cards
It was recently our 27th wedding anniversary. For most of our wedding anniversaries, birthdays and for Christmas, I will paint an original watercolour as a Handmade Card for my wife Susan. She now has quite a collection of Handmade Cards that capture different occasions and places that hold special memories for us both.
This year I decided to paint a particular canal in Venice that we visited in 2018 with our son and his wife. When he was a little boy, he lived in this particular house. One day he lined up his toy cars on the window sill. He then pushed them, one by one, out of the window, into the water below. He never saw them again. Our son wanted to know where he once lived so that one day, he can relate the story to his little boy.
Birthday Cards
There are times when I will paint Handmade Cards for other family members and close friends. A work colleague at the charity Junction 42 shares her birthday with our wedding anniversary. It was her 50th birthday this year. As she has been a good friend and very supportive of my work as an artist, I decided to paint her a small card. I made the decision to capture her coming out of Pret a Manger at the top of Grey Street. She’s a regular visitor to this particular outlet. As soon as I knew she was popping out for lunch, I followed her and stood at the base of Grey’s Monument with my iPhone held up in front of my face. As she came out, she had no idea I was there. I was able to take several photographs that were suitable for me to work on.
Grey Street
It’s a view I’ve painted on many occasions, in all kinds of different weather conditions and times of year. Drawing on past experience of painting Grey Street and with the use of the photographs, I captured her clutching her sandwich to consume in our nearby offices. The card came as a complete surprise. Combined with appropriate words inside, it was deeply appreciated.
The Handmade Cards are usually framed up for the recipient to enjoy all year round. In effect, you have an original painting. If you would like to commission a Handmade Card, then please contact me on alan@alanreed.com or telephone 01661 871 800